Spike



a front view of my improved spike.

UNITED STATi-:s

'PATET OFFICE.

JOHN s. PEssENGnR, on BRooKLYN, NEW YORK.

SPIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 3'70,650, ated eptember 27, 1887. Application filedMay 13,` 1887. Serial No. 238.061. (No model.)

To all wwm it may concerlzl:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. PEssENG'ER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Spike, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a spike the shank of which is made of elliptical form in crosssection, so that the spike will not crack or split the Wood when driven home. .The shank is made Without a taper from head to point, so as to prevent any Wedge-like action.

The invention consists of the various features of improvement, more fully pointed out in the claim.

In the aocompanying drawings, Figure 1 is Fig. 2 is a side view thereof.4 Fig. 3 is a cross-seotion on line x x, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective side view of a spike as heretofore generally constructed. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on line y y,Fig. 4.

Spikes 'as heretofore generally made had sharp upright edges from head to point, which were apt to act similar to Wedges in splitting the Wood as the spikes were driven home; or they were cireular in cross-section, when they Were apt to turn in their seats. Figs. 4 and 5 are intended to illustrate this old form of spike,

Fig. 5 showing the effect it produces upon the Wood.

- Inorder to overcome this obj ection, the shank a of my spike is made of elliptical shape in cross-section, as more clearly shown in Fig. 3. This elliptical shape is without grooves or indentations, so that an uninterrupted elliptically-curved Outline Without any edges Whatsoever is obtained. In this Way the spike will not force the fibers of the Wood asunder, but will pass through them'without any tearing action. The spike is thicker from front to rear than from side to side, or vice versa, and thus the spike is prevented from turning in its seat. The shank a should be made of uniform cross-section from the head b to the point 0- that is to say, it should be made without any taper-and thus any wedge-like action is prevented. The point c is made of conical shape, While the head b is of the customary form.

As shown in Fig. 3, the cross-section of the spike is a fi'gure having two straight parallel sides joined to two convex sides, or an approximately or entirely elliptical figure.

An additional advantage of this improved spike is, that it requires less metal in its production than an angular spike having the same strength.

It also obtains a tighter hold in the Wood,

compressing the fibers equally aroundit,withf specified.

'JOHN S. PESSENGER. Witnesses:

HENRY E. ROEDER, F, V. BRIEsEN. 

